Prog !! is it a one man effort , or a Teamwork !

maani wrote: There would seem to be a rather simple answer to this question. Unless one plays every instrument, sings, writes lyrics, and produces (including mixing), it is all but impossible for any "progressive" project to be "one-man." Having said that, there are probably a handful of people who could pull this off, but none of them have done so (at least that I am aware of).

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4642

I bet Steven Wilson could do it, too (although I don't know if he plays drums or not)


Edited by Ambient Hurricanes - July 10 2013 at 17:24

Depends on the artist.

Obviously Somone like Mike Oldfield is the bees knees for being a one man recking crew.
Guy plays everything.

A band like RUSH or DREAM THEATER fully invite the word team into their vocabulary of musical creativity.

It depends on the man and the band.  If we are talking about Vangelis or Mike Oldfield then yes, it is the man who is the band (even though they have been involved with band projects).  But these two, and others like them, are presented as solo artists.  If it is about any of the people you have mentioned, no.  Ian Anderson once said there would be no Jethro Tull without Martin Barre, and even though Anderson is clearly bandmate #1, all the other musicians who have been with the band have contributed to its sound.  What would "A" have sounded like without Eddie Jobson?  Aqualung without John Evan?  Songs From the Wood without David Palmer?  Contrast the various incarnations of King Crimson.  Even with the one consistent person, Fripp, they sound very different and that is not all Fripp's doing.  So, for bands, it is not, and cannot be, a one-man band. This is a good issue to raise, especially since mainstream music is so much about the singer as a single artist with no consideration for the musicians who play the music (indeed if there are any besides the programming).  As radio stations were growing more and more corporate years ago they tried to elevate the lead singer to almost solo status.  It wasn't just Queen but Freddie Mercury and Queen. Sting and the Police.  Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.  I found these attempts laughable but now it seems insidious.  All band members contribute to the sound.  Jazz great Charles Mingus once said the most important member of the band was the drummer; in contrast Bill Berry (if I have his name right) of R.E.M. saying the drummer was expendable.  No drummer, no matter how simple or basic the playing, is truly replaceable by a machine. So let's celebrate real music played by real people and honor the contribution of all individuals to the whole sound! 

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: maani wrote: There would seem to be a rather simple answer to this question. Unless one plays every instrument, sings, writes lyrics, and produces (including mixing), it is all but impossible for any "progressive" project to be "one-man." Having said that, there are probably a handful of people who could pull this off, but none of them have done so (at least that I am aware of). http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4642 I bet Steven Wilson could do it, too (although I don't know if he plays drums or not)

I do it, and I don't play drums. 

Gerinski wrote: The Wall was clearly led by Roger Waters, but I doubt that he or some average session guitarist could have come up with the guitar parts in Comfortably Numb.

The guitar parts in "Comfortably Numb" are decidedly simplistic.  They fit the song though- nothing wrong with simplicity.

But I agree that the guitar parts were Gilmour through and through.  For me, those are his quintessential guitar solos- one in a major key, one in a minor.

The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: maani wrote: There would seem to be a rather simple answer to this question. Unless one plays every instrument, sings, writes lyrics, and produces (including mixing), it is all but impossible for any "progressive" project to be "one-man." Having said that, there are probably a handful of people who could pull this off, but none of them have done so (at least that I am aware of). http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4642 I bet Steven Wilson could do it, too (although I don't know if he plays drums or not) I do it, and I don't play drums.  Me too, and I do play drums

Excellent- is there a track of yours you'd recommend right off?

The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: maani wrote: There would seem to be a rather simple answer to this question. Unless one plays every instrument, sings, writes lyrics, and produces (including mixing), it is all but impossible for any "progressive" project to be "one-man." Having said that, there are probably a handful of people who could pull this off, but none of them have done so (at least that I am aware of). http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4642 I bet Steven Wilson could do it, too (although I don't know if he plays drums or not) I do it, and I don't play drums.  Me too, and I do play drums  Excellent- is there a track of yours you'd recommend right off? Sure, it's the 2nd on the playlist called, "I Can't Stop It" and it lives here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHeCwZ7Yxqs&list=PLL3YgbXK9mtBVvMOEPpq-ysCPlGld7zCF&index=2 Thanks for asking

Frankly, I would never have picked that one based on the title, but nice!

To me, it's like Camel found some twisted energy and a distortion box.

The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: maani wrote: There would seem to be a rather simple answer to this question. Unless one plays every instrument, sings, writes lyrics, and produces (including mixing), it is all but impossible for any "progressive" project to be "one-man." Having said that, there are probably a handful of people who could pull this off, but none of them have done so (at least that I am aware of). http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4642 I bet Steven Wilson could do it, too (although I don't know if he plays drums or not) I do it, and I don't play drums.  Me too, and I do play drums  Excellent- is there a track of yours you'd recommend right off? Sure, it's the 2nd on the playlist called, "I Can't Stop It" and it lives here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHeCwZ7Yxqs&list=PLL3YgbXK9mtBVvMOEPpq-ysCPlGld7zCF&index=2 Thanks for asking  Frankly, I would never have picked that one based on the title, but nice! To me, it's like Camel found some twisted energy and a distortion box. A twisted distorted Camel...I like that   Thanks for giving me a listen!   I just gave your track Refulgence a spin...very nice...I really like the vocals & guitar work...first rate production.  How do you get your mellotron sound?

Tapeworm!

Thanks for listening. New album (enthusiastically) on the way! 

The.Crimson.King wrote: Epignosis wrote: The.Crimson.King wrote:  How do you get your mellotron sound? Tapeworm! Thanks for listening. New album (enthusiastically) on the way!  Your Tapeworm tron sounds great!  In the early 90's when I recorded "I Can't Stop It" I was using an Emu Vintage Keys rackmount.  Nowadays I have samples direct from a mid 70's M400 loaded on a Yamaha Motif XF.  I can never get enough of the combination of tron strings and distorted guitar

Oh indeed- there's something about a Mellotron that is so much better than modern strings synths.

Epignosis wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: maani wrote: There would seem to be a rather simple answer to this question. Unless one plays every instrument, sings, writes lyrics, and produces (including mixing), it is all but impossible for any "progressive" project to be "one-man." Having said that, there are probably a handful of people who could pull this off, but none of them have done so (at least that I am aware of). http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4642 I bet Steven Wilson could do it, too (although I don't know if he plays drums or not) I do it, and I don't play drums.

Wait...did you program the drums on Refulgence?